Life as a Law ‘Fresher’

Being a student who has fled the nest in search of independence and freedom, you can not be prepared enough for what university life has to offer. You have to be an accountant, cleaner, student, academic, prospective professional, family member, close friend and flatmate. Some people handle these roles well, and others not so well. Here’s how well I managed – my best and my worst moments.

Moving in day

So move in day came, and to that I learned that I would be living on the fourth floor and there were no elevators. This was a task and a half. If you’re moving into halls, I suggest you bring storage boxes and find out if the halls have elevators. You could come up with some pully-system, but for health and safety best not.

The flat ‘mates’

It was fair to say that by the end we were all glad to be departing our own separate ways, put it that way. But amazing to think that in the first week you all thought you would be BFFL’s for life – no pal that was the alcohol talking.

Take away nights are justifiable

Because you’re a student and you’re on limited funds, taking advantage of student deals at the local takeaway has always been OK. How do you get a 12 inch pizza for £3? I doubt it was real cheese. It’s better than eating pasta every day put it that way.

Freshers flu

If you’ve never heard of freshers flu, god save you. Being crammed in a room full of 200 students and little ventilation does not sound promising, especially when a fair fraction of those students are from across the globe. Here is the meeting place of every strain of flu in existence, and it gives birth to the god forsaken ‘freshers flu’. Mine turned into bronchitis and could only be defeated by this aggressive antibiotic which is not so easy keep down once down.

Offeree or offeror?

Two words guaranteed to come up on the spell checker every time. Are they really words, and which way around were they again? This post it note were the stabilisers to my academic bike, which I did not learn to ride without until the end of the semester.

The Law Fair

An ample opportunity for every scrimping student to get their hands on free stationary and kitchenware. The cost – scrubbing up well and getting your name out to the local firms.

Get suited – it’s time for court

The ‘moot’, a moment where students become lawyers for the day to show how good they are at manipulating the truth. Some dreading it, some loving it. Me? Loving it obviously. ‘May it please you ma’am, my name is Ross Simmons and I represent the prosecution’.

Netflix

Put the kettle on and get your onesie on. Who wants to be writing up essays and reading Factortame when you’ve got all seasons of Breaking Bad at the click of a button. Here’s a few words of wisdom, if you haven’t watched Breaking Bad, pick the right time to start, not half way through semester 2!

Law students don’t have time to play ‘dress up’

Wrong! Here’s a picture of me, Koula and Agha in Nottingham at the Galleries of Justice. A ‘school trip’ is always the best ice breaker for freshers. I assure you this trip was educational and our coursework depended on it!

OSCOLA

Six letters which bring up images of those only seen in nightmares. Really, it wasn’t that bad. Keep you’re referencing guide to hand and you can’t go wrong. Oh, and if you catch yourself using ‘ibid’, you’re officially an OSCOLA pro.

The ‘law’ trip to London

Probably the most non-law related trip you’ve been on. Most universities or their societies offer this unique experience to see the judges in the central courts. Of course we did just that, but who goes to London without riding the underground or getting a taste of the cocktails in Soho?

So those were my best and worst moments from my first year as a law student. How about your best and worst moments? Comment below – I want to know!